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Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Hey guys! So today for Writer Wednesday I'm not going to be sharing writing tips or anything. I'm actually going to share one of my new plays. One of the best ways to grow as a playwright is to get people to read your work and comment their questions, problems, and concerns with the story. Up until your play gets a lot of performances and gets a publishing deal and even then your best help is getting people's input on your script and getting it into the hands of the people who could put it on stage.

So thus I give you "Just One More Moment" a Ten Minute Play that I wrote when I was trying to get into a festival event that some colleagues of mine were doing. They gave you a list of specific parameters that they wanted you to incorporate into the script and work on it all night and try to get it in by the deadline. I didn't get mine in in time but I thought that it was a good enough script to get in front of people.

I like Scifi/Post Apocalyptic stories and I like love stories so I combined all of my loves into one and created a love story of two lost people traveling in a post nuclear wasteland finding love just a little too late. For ten minute play festivals or one act festivals this play is great and needs just a minimal sets and stuff to get it done. Read it and enjoy it and then leave a comment to tell me what you think about it. Then find a theatre friend of yours and hand it off to them!

I'm looking to post a new play of mine every month. It get's my scripts out there to anyone who could use them and opens connections to other theatre people out there. If you want to read it just click on the button above and get directed to a pdf of the script And look here at the Lounge on the last Wednesday of the Month to see more new plays!

Note

This play is under copyright and is my own intellectual property. Read it all you want and share it with friends but if you want to produce it or put it onstage you have to email me and ask me for the rights and pay a royalty. All inquiries should be directed to rsyoung1105@gmail.com. Thanks!

Monday, February 25, 2013

So I've had the opportunity to share with you guys some ideas about what I like and dislike about the theatre world and habits of small town theatre artists. But I haven't been telling a lot of stories from my own experiences. Well let me tell you about how I got into the world of theatre producing in the first place.

When I first thought that I wanted to start my own theatre company I started in the worst way imaginable. I took a load of money I had stashed away, got a couple of my friends from the Theatre Department from APSU, and started a non-profit theatre company out of pocket. I didn't learn until much later that that was one of the stupidest decisions out there.

A scene from Fronkensteen's first production ever!

Thus started Fronkensteen Experimental Theatre Group. There were parts about it that I really liked, we started a playwright's group called Inklings, had a core group of writers turning out scripts, and directors and actors wiling to jump at a chance to work. We did an opening season of four productions and I wouldn't trade those experiences for anything in the world. Mainly because I learned a lot of things about what not to do. We were young and crazy, we performed in the bottom of a hippie night club and couldn't even fill the forty seats that we were playing for. The one great show that we had had half full audiences. And I fell into the trap that a lot of Jack of All Trades get into...I was only one person and I couldn't trust the people working with me to do their jobs to my high standards.

The other problem that we had is that I and my business partner could never get together on key issues. I never wanted to pay for anything I didn't want to and he wanted to spend money like it was going out of style. He wanted to do more adult style productions and I just wanted to do the plays that I was writing. We were the two most prolific of the playwrights so we were the two that were expected to fill out a season. We were on opposite ends of the spectrum and the people in the middle just didn't know what to with us. We would have epic arguments that made me wonder if we were business partners or dating.

Rehearsal for Fronkensteen's Third production in my front yard. We rehearsed whereever I could find open space.

My biggest mistake In this season was that I was trusting so many people to do a job that I could have done in my sleep and because I never sat down with my group and started a capitalization campaign or created a business plan or mission statement. We were just crazy kids who wanted the resume experience fresh out of college and didn't know about any of the business of running a company.

Friday, February 22, 2013

This is the big screen display for the End it Movement at the Passion Conference. It was completely fan sourced from the thousands of students who took pictures of themselves on instagram and used the Hashtag #inittoendit. It was very moving and brought tears to my eyes!

This is me in the stands for the passion conference waiting for the fun to begin

Outside the Georgia Dome walking into Passion! It was such high energy!

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

So in my last Writer's Wednesday I talked about some exercises that I had tried to get a rough draft out. They were all about imposing some structure that you had to stretch yourself into fitting. This week I'm going to share some structures that I've wanted to try but really haven't yet. Who knows after I try some I might post my results and let y'all see! So below are three structures that I've borrowed/stolen from other places. Take these as a challenge to write your own play or story off of one of these. After you're done share them with me! I look forward to reading! So without anymore to do let's get to it!

#1. Battle Royale

This is a structure pulled from wrestling. Put a large number of characters in a room or setting. All the characters want to be the only person in the room. Create a conflict where characters are ousted from the room by the others. The play is over when there is only one character left in the room free to do the thing that he desperately wanted to do alone.

#2. Royal Rumble

This is just like the previous prompt except this time only two people start in the room. Each of them wants to be alone in the room for some secret reason. But the only problem is that a whole bunch of other people need to be in the room for some other reason also. So at regular intervals in the play someone enters and is trying to get everyone else out of the room. Again the play ends when only one person is left.

Some things that these two prompts teach you about is being flexible about exposition (why do people need to be in this room?) and character motivations and secrets (what are they willing to do to be in this room alone? What is their reward? Also explore different characters creating alliances and stabbing each other in the back. These things are little triggers in every plot that can move the story along.

#3. Onion

An Onion is an old Theatre Improv game but it can work find for a play. One character starts the first scene. When you get bored or have no idea where else the character can go bring another character in. When they enter the scene changes to something completely different. When you keep getting a block add another character! When you've reached the max number of characters you think your play will contain start taking characters out of the scenes. The play is over when there's only one character left in the scene again.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

So every week until Shine A Light on Slavery Day I'll be posting about the plight about modern day slavery in the world and what great people and organizations out there have been fighting the good fight to end it for good. This week we'll be talking about the Polaris Project. The Polaris Project is one of my top favorite organization out there! Not only do they try to raise awareness of this massive problem in our world but it also offers services and programs that support the boots on the ground in different areas of the nation but mobilize us to make a change and spot slavery where it is. Below is my Top Five Reasons why Polaris is amazing!

Borrowed from the Polaris Pinterest

The Recources: The Polaris Project offers a website full of resources to help law enforcement agencies, civic organizations, and ordinary citizens spot the warning signs of a human trafficking situation and what the laws and legislation are in their area. There are over 200,000 slaves trafficked in the United States and Polaris gives us the tools to spot it where it is.

The Hotline: Polaris runs a 24 hour national hotline that you can call any time of the day to ask for information or give a tip on a potential trafficking incident. Victims of Human Trafficking can also call to be rescued from their captors. Polaris can get the information you give them directly to your local law enforcement, state, and national agencies.

The Legislation: Polaris helps draft and advocate anti-trafficking legislation in state and national government and provide the legal framework that spots slavery and puts the people responsible behind bars. It also advocates the Safe Harbor Laws that treat children forced into sex trafficking as victims and not locked up as criminals.

Restoring the Victims: Polaris offers several services to the victims of trafficking such as advocacy, transitional housing, job training, therapy, and medical services.

Crisis Response Teams: Polaris trains boots on the ground and keeps staff members on call to intervene in trafficking cases and offer assistance to law enforcement agencies.

And there are several things that people like you and me can do to raise awareness for this great cause! Polaris wholeheartedly encourages people to put up information about the Hotline and the signs of trafficking everywhere. Imagine if news of this hotline were in every office, church, and store in your community? How much change we could make in this world to eradicate slavery for good!

Borrowed from the Trafficking Resource Center

This job that the Polaris Project does is often a thankless one but I call them complete SUPERSTARS for doing this work. I offer my sincere thanks to all of the men and women at the Polaris Project for fighting the good fight and hanging in there!

Note:

Hey guys! This is an unsolicited shoutout of an organization that I think is awesome! No one asked me or paid me to say such nice things about people. This means that all the nice things I say about them are my own! Originality Rocks!

Monday, February 18, 2013

Ever since the first wolf ever sat down by a caveman's fire and they first met friends our lives as humans are often shared with "man's best friend" by our side. They are our constant companions, protectors, friends, and even these days our "furbabies" that we have adopted and chosen to take care of.

I got to watch a great play last Friday at Austin Peay State University called Sylvia by A. R. Gurney. In it Greg, a man nearing middle age, brings home a new dog named Sylvia. He forms an immediate attraction to the dog but his wife Kate despises her. He has found someone new to take care of but Kate has found a new rival for Greg's love and affection. And from there we launch into a hilarious journey into this couple's battle of the dog.

The poster for APSU's production. Cute Right?

APSU is my Alma Mater so I will love them no matter what they do. But there were a few specific reasons why I loved this show. Let's just name a few...

#1 Coming out of Left Field

When you hear the above story line you might think, "What's the big deal? It's just a couple fighting over a dog." Did I mention that the dog was played by a person? And that the dog could actually talk and be understood by both of them? Plays are great pieces of art because, unlike film or tv, they can talk a hit right out of left field like that and touch an audience on a deeper level. Because Sylvia got to talk and express herself in ways that weren't just barks or snarls you got an insight into what dogs might be really thinking and saying when they flip their wig over a cat walking by.

Another good thing about Sylvia being played by a human is that it points out something every dog owner knows. After staying with you for any length of time your dog can become your "furbaby" that never lets you down or leaves you. They always seem to become more that just a dog to you. They become a member of the family and you forget that they'e not human!

Cast and crew preparing for photos after the show.

#2 Great Acting

We actually have a professional regional theatre in our town. But due to the fantastic professors and curriculum at APSU's department of theatre and dance all of the actors in the show were of top notch caliber already! I may be biased because I came out of that program but no one can dispute that the work of these young men and women were pro-stage worthy. Senior Anne Winters played the tortured wife beautifully. Also notable were the acting chops of Antonina LaRocca, also a senior who played Sylvia. And the Men were very well represented in the acting of Junior Christian Jasper and Sophomore Joshua Webb. There wasn't a low point in the entire show when these actors joined forces onstage!

#3 Great Design

With the entrance of Noel Rennerfeldt APSU's theatre and dance department got a wonderful set designer and technical director who uses his design chops to bring great sets onto the APSU mainstage. After seeing his work for three shows now and having built sets for that stage before I applaud his craft and mastery and Jon Penney and the students that work in the shop to make those sets a reality. It brings back such fond memories.

The gorgeous set designed by Prof. Rennerfedlt and built by Theatre and Dance Students

So there you have it. Sylvia is a great show and if you ever find an opportunity to see it someday it's definitely worth the while. And if you ever get the chance to go and see a show at the Austin Peay department of Theatre and Dance it's definitely worth your while too! Trust me, they're a lot better than some professional theatre's I've seen.

If you want to learn more about A. R. Gurney or Sylvia just look here. To learn more about the APSU theatre and dance department look here.

Note:

Hey guys! This is an unsolicited review I did of the show just because I love them so much! No one asked or paid me to write the review so all the cool and awesome things I'm saying about them are my own!

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Life with Tourettes update: It gets better!

So for the first time in a while I'm celebrating Valentines day with someone very special to me. For the past few V-Days I'd done what several lonely bachelors did and moped around. So while I spent this season of love appreciating the new love and significant other I've found I thought I would give another chapter of my life with Tourettes.

Romance and Tourettes don't always seem to go together. When I was going through puberty Tourettes hit me hard and for the longest time the hardest thing was relating with other people. You're at this awkward stage where puberty is putting your body through weird changes and then Tourettes comes in as a weird change itself. Relations between me and the "fairer sex" were always strained because of this.

Most girls couldn't look past the Tourettes and see the person underneath. Many, if we were in a public place, couldn't stand the looks and stares I was getting. And then there was the usual social suicide that came with dating "that freak". Needless to say I went through a lot girls that didn't last past three dates.

But then there were some girls that could look past it. There were a lot of girls that could see that there was a real person underneath the "other guy" and want to spend some quality time. But it never seemed like any of those girls who could see the guy I was wanted to build a relationship with me. I just chalked that up to not having "boy with mental disorder" at the top of any girls boyfriend wish list. I went through a lot of years sitting out Valentines Day not thinking there would be any girl out there that would see the real me and want to be in a three way relationship. Me+Her+Tourettes= Not Company.

But then I met a girl who's easily become the love of my life. I never thought that I could meet someone that makes celebrating six months feel like a blissful eternity. And she not only loves me. She's seen my Tourettes and knows what she has to put up with and loves me even more for it! Tourettes isn't the third wheel its a part of me that she loves and adores!

So to those of you who might be trudging through a life where their Tourettes or another neurological disorder is keeping them from love just know that it gets better! There is someone out there for you and wherever you look, no matter how long you have to look, you'll always find love.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

So Monday night I got a chance to see a talk and book signing by Collins Tuohy, sister of Michael Oher who was immortalized in the movie The Blind Side. It was sponsored by the Austin Peay Govs Programming Council and held in the Clement Auditorium. When I first got there I was wondering how if it would be weird seeing someone that you were first introduced to by some actress playing her in a movie. You know what if she's not as great as she was in the movie. But from the moment she walked onstage and started talking the energy was amazing! She brought a warmth and vitality onto the stage but made all of us feel at home with her just as if we were sitting with her in a sitting room or kitchen table.

So overall this event was way awesome and there are a million great things that I could say about it but for the sake of space let's stick to my top five.

#1 Family Gossip

I had fallen in love with the Tuohy family ever since I saw the movie. So when Collins opened up by telling us what all of the family was doing now it was like we had known them their whole lives. And it wasn't just a brief little intro to the family it was jam packed with funny stories and all the fun stuff that makes them feel like a real family.

#2 Fact vs. Movie Fiction

Collins also set us straight on what parts of the movie were true and which weren't. She was very quick to point out that everything was put in for a purpose to drive the message home and that mostly the silly little unimportant things didn't make it into the movie. An example would be that Collins never played volleyball ever but they changed it to make it easier to film. You know those little things that just make filming easier but don't take away from the story.

#3 A Funny Story

You'll have to find a way to get to Collin's next speaking engagement near you or find a video on Youtube talking about how Collins' mom, the real Mrs. Tuohy, took actress Sandra Bullock around doing errands all over Memphis and finally convince her to do the role. Before that Bullock didn't even want to take it on. I cannot tell the story here and do justice to the way Collins had us rolling in the aisles telling it. You'll just have to hear it for yourself.

#4 A Heart Warming Message

Something that you really see in the movie that you don't get full force until you meet Collins and hear her speak about the family is the brilliant message about placing a great value on people that you've never even met yet. One of the inaccuracies in the film she was determined to point out is that they didn't meet Michael walking down the road. In fact she goes on to point out that on the road he would be walking on a boy like Michael would have "stood out like a sore thumb" but all the people driving by didn't even notice him. But the Tuohy's first met him by paying for his meal plan in school and seeing to his immediate needs. It was by doing such a small thing of seeing if he was fed that day that he first entered their family. And it reminded me of all the times I pass people by without placing a value on them. And also how we often feel that charity means doing something big for a cause but that most times the small things that we do without thinking can make all the difference.

Borrowed from @greatertalent

#5 Collins' Personal Story

This one almost made me cry. During the Q and A someone asked how Michael had changed her life. Quoting her as closely as I can I want to share what she said.

I remember that warm feeling that I always got knowing that my family or the special people were in my corner. Seeing Collins' eyes light up sharing this and hearing the smile in her voice when she shared funny stories about the two of them made me think about the warm feelings I've had for my brothers and sisters.

End Note

I encourage everyone to follow the Make It Happen Foundation and the rest of the Tuohy family. Also be sure to read their book In a Heartbeat that was written by Shaun and Leighanne Tuohy. And when you can check online for Collins Tuohy's next speaking engagement and see if you can go. I know you'll find a place for her in you heart like the rest of us here in Clarksville did.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Hey Guys! So for this weeks End It Update I'm not going to talk about a great tool that the End It Movement gives you to help you spread the word!

When you go to the End It Movement's website you have the option to download for free a digital tool kit with lots of professionally made free goodies that will help you spread the world about slavery and human trafficking. Even if you're not a local organization that spreads word about the cause or a celebrity with a thousand twitter followers there are tools in the kit that can help you get the word out! Here's a look at what's inside!

#1 Logos

You have three logos that you have free reign to use however you wish to spread word on your site or social media. You have your choice of black and white and one without words if you're worried about your social media's terms and conditions. You can find an example on the cover photo of my page.

#2 Posters and Rave Cards

Do you want to put up a statement of your stance to End It on a wall? Do you want to have a mess of small cards made to hand out at your next event or whenever you're out on the town? End It gives you two choices of posters and a rave card that you can print out and take with you wherever!

#3 Slavery Facts and the End It Manifesto

Want to inform people with facts about Modern Day Slavery or spread the ideals and goals of the End It Movement? With the PDF's in the toolkit you have free access to facts about slavery and a manifesto with the philosophies and goals that unites everyone in the Movement together!

#4 Stories

Read the stories of real people that had to endure the harshest cruelties of humanity and how other real people became their heroes and helped them on the road to recovery. I hope that you tear up as much as I do reading these stories and that they inspire you to do something about it like I do!

I encourage you to go to the End It website and download the toolkit. Together we can get the word out about slavey and unite with other people all over the world to say that we will not allow slavery to exist in this world anymore! God Bless!

Monday, February 11, 2013

So I was reading this article at Howl Round that featured yet another professional in the industry defending whether or not a new program to plant residents in salaried positions in the theatre have been successful or not. I find these articles everywhere I look and they're beginning to puzzle me. It seems that every time things in the industry start looking up that there are people out there ready to decry that the theatre world as we know it is dead!

So this got me started wondering about what I would call the indicators of a successful theatre venture. So below is my list of what I would consider success.

It supports the artist: Artists are entitled to the same salaries that everyone else has. I understand that everyone has their starving artist stage but if you're working at what you do at a place that sells what you do you should be making enough money to be doing it full time.

It helps support the student/starving artist: Like I said I understand that we all go through our starving artist stage where we're figuring out what we want to do, discovering our path, and pursuing our education. By offering support, and training to these people you're not only training the next generation you're making connections for people who may be working with you someday.

Uses a business model that makes sense for the organization: I can't say it often enough that I don't care what business model a theatre company uses. I don't care if it's non-profit/for-profit as long as what it does makes sense for the people that work their and serves the audience. That brings me to my next point...

It serves the audience: There's the old saying, "I don't know about art but I know what I like". A successful company will grow and maintain an audience that likes what they do and try their hardest to keep them. Remember audience=money if you do it right.

Sells a Quality Product but Encourages Experimentation: Every theatre company wants quality shows but sometimes the focus is so much on shows that sell that they forget that original plays need to get out there too. Every other industry out there has an R&D department so why don't theatre companies have one too? Support and encourage New Plays!

It supports the community: Lastly I think a successful theatre company is one that supports the community that it lives in. And I don't mean just the local community but the state, national, and global community. Art should be a force for good and in this internet age we need to be good citizens of the local community.

Now these aren't the only factors out there for success in the theatre world. And these won't necessarily be someone else's indicators for success. But you'll find that in every good and sustainable theatre company these will be common indicators of success.

Saturday, February 9, 2013

So who doesn't love video games? More importantly who doesn't LOVE video games with the words "epic" and "Mickey" in them. Yep boys and girls Epic Mickey 2 is among us and you have a chance to get a copy to start your own kind of Disney Adventures. Just look at the awesome video demo below...

Now who in the world wouldn't want to get a piece of that action? Well now you can! Just enter to win in the rafflecopter below and all of this could be yours! And check out DragynAlly's blurb of the game on her blog here. Good luck everyone!a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday, February 8, 2013

Who hasn't wanted a necklace that's not only cute but wickedly evil! Or is your preference more for of the bibbity boppity boo type? Well look no further! Let me introduce you to these necklaces by Kimie's Kreations. But the catch is this. When you enter this giveaway as DragynAlly explains in her blog here. You don't win these necklaces you win one that's custom made from a picture that you supply. So the prince or princess that you're displaying is you! Then again you can choose any picture that you want for the necklace it's YOUR creation!

Wanna have this enchanted opportunity all to yourself? Enter to win them in the rafflecopter below and this little beauty can be all yours! Good luck!

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Handcrafted from the Heart!

Ladies and Gentlemen I submit for your approval... this fabulous necklace by Jillie Beanie Designs! Okay I didn't have the budget for the band and the dancing girls but this wonderfully crafted handmade necklace completely deserves this kind of welcome!

And get this guys not only is it a piece of beautiful handmade jewelry but a handy place to keep your glasses or ID when you need it. Just look at the elegant black beads mingling with the bright beauty of these sparkly beads. Simple yet elegant! I love it!

And here's your chance to win one of these of your very own! Follow the instructions on the rafflecopter below and this great necklace could be yours! Good luck!

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

So in the past few weeks I've been telling you about ways that you can turn out a draft for your next play, short story, or novel. Now in the last two posts I want to tell you about some other common writing exercises I use to get the juices flowing. The previous exercises were ways that you can follow a loose structure to wrap your mind around, you were meant to get it wrong eventually. These exercises are more rigid. You're supposed to wrap your mind around it to see how you can get it right! These are called prompts in the writing world. Below are three of my favorite ones that I've actually used and would recommend to someone else.

#1. The Park Bench

This is a cliche that you see in every writing class but it's a goodie. The idea is to put two characters that you've been thinking about on a park bench together and get them talking. Yes I can hear you screaming from here, "No one sits and talks on a park bench anymore! I don't even know where I can find a park bench!" Chill out the idea is to find any public place where it's believable that two people could bump into each other and get them talking. Once you've made a commitment to the setting get them together until you've run out of things for them to say and then find a believable way to get them to leave.

#2. The Elevator Play

This is another cliche. In this one you put your characters into an elevator and have it shut down. As they're trying to get out and fear their imminent demise they get to talking about things. The idea is to get people in a situation where your characters can't escape and they don't know what's going to happen to them. This can take place in a myriad of places. The scene ends with the characters being allowed to escape.

#3. The ABC's

This might sound like a strange exercise but try it. Get out as many pages as you want your play to be and get as many characters as you want. Then starting with A have each line that your characters say start with a letter of the alphabet. When you get to Z start over again until you get tired of it. You'll be surprised that by the end of it that you have a good scene that you can edit later.

Monday, February 4, 2013

So dating a fellow blogger is very interesting. For Valentines Day my friend of the girl persuasion said she was sending me a surprise gift. The only catch was that I had to give a review of it for the blog because she was giving another one of them away. I said sure, why not. So imagine my surprise when I open the box and find this little guy waiting for me.

Ready to get clean for the Lounge!

Looks cute doesn't he? He's a little bar of soap shaped like R2D2 from the Star Wars Movies. They're made by Frozen Water Designs on Etsy. They have many geek themed soaps and such that you can totally customize with your favorite colors and scents. You can give them as a gift to your significant other or choose a mixture of His and Hers to give yourself a treat.

So I decided to use the soap when I took a shower and see what I thought about it. Below is a short list about some positive points.

He matches all my things!

The Geek Factor: I love the Star Wars Trilogy! At one point I was even trying to learn to speak Wookie and become a Jedi myself! This little guy brought back a lot of memories for me.

The Color: My favorite lightsaber color is blue so I like that the color is blue too. I also like that you can choose you're own color.

The smell: My GF found a great scent for me. It made me feel nice and rugged but wasn't overpowering. And it stays with you for a while.

The feel: It made my skin feel nice and cozy and didn't dry me out. It also produced a pretty nice lather. I've been a body wash man for too long maybe with these soaps I can be a bar man again!

Great Gift Factor: I absolutely loved this gift! I feel it is a great gift to give your main man or lady for a romantic message OR for a fun gift for a casual friend. Just like R2 it's a great gift for any occasion.

He'll always be my copilot!

Theres only one downside to my Little R2D2 though. Knowing that he won't last forever! After just one wash one of his legs popped off. I relegated him to sink duty so that he'll survive longer. Then I just might have to got to Frozen Water Designs and get some more on my own! If you want a chance to win your own geeky soap you can enter at this Rafflecopter below. Have fun!

Disclaimer: Hey guys, the soap was given to me as a gift from my girlfriend and I was asked by her to review it using my own opinions. No one told me what to say at all. Let's hear it for a clean conscience!

Friday, February 1, 2013

So for anyone that knows me what I'm about to say won't be a surprise. I'm a true romantic at heart! I like romantic movies and still gush when I hear a good romantic love song. So when my girlfriend, DragynAlly, sent me the most gushiest V-Day cards ever I was more than happy to review them! You can see her review of the cards here.

Because the Hallmark cards are so amazing nothing that I was going to write would have been enough to contain all of my feelings. And so when I got these cards I decided to film my review and give you a video tour of the cards. The video is here below.

So that's all I can say for these cards. If you like cards that are uber-romantic, plenty of space to put in your own thoughts and will be something you can display on your mantle and desk for everyone to see you can't go wrong with these cards! Be sure to let them know that you love that they love the Earth and use recycled paper too!

If you would like to win your own Hallmark Cards to give to your friends and loved ones you can enter the giveaway in the Rafflecopter below. Good luck to everyone! Have a great V-Day!